Modular accessory for the training of fingers

ABSTRACT

Modular accessory for the training of fingers that must be mounted on a wall by means of fixing screws for the realization of exercises in suspension that has 3 components: a base, a cover, and a separator. A cover and a separator must be mounted on the base according to the suspension exercise to be performed. The cover and separator are removable to allow the change by another component with different characteristics: different thicknesses for the separator, and different radii for the supporting edge of the cover. Each accessory allows exercises with only one hand due to its dimensions, being necessary a pair of accessories installed at a horizontal distance according to the acromioclavicular distance, which allows customization for the user. Its dimensions preferably must not exceed 150 mm*80 mm*90 mm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently you can find in the market different devices and accessories for finger training for climbers, most focused on aesthetics and not functionality, the most common being the so-called Climbing Training Boards or Climbing Hangboards.

These exercises are performed in suspension, being the users who hold themselves with their fingers from some surface while performing intermittent suspensions (lifting the body from the ground intermittently by the force of arms, hands, and fingers, and without the help of another part of the body).

From the scientific studies of finger strength carried out, ideal parameters and dimensions are obtained for the performance of exercises that strengthen the muscles of the hand and forearm without inducing injuries.

The studied dimensions that generate an impact on the effectiveness of training and the reduction of injuries, such as acromioclavicular distance, damaging radii, finger opening width, support depth, among others, have been considered for this invention.

Another important factor to consider is the size of the climbing accessories, setting as an objective the optimization of the weight and size of the accessories, as their users are characterized by nomadism and the need to move the equipment.

STATE OF THE ART

Pre-existing finger training accessories have a number of disadvantages that limit the effectiveness of training, can result in injuries, and present little or no adjustability for users, due to their static dimensions.

The existing training boards have large dimensions (about 45 centimeters and up to 90 centimeters), and do not necessarily respect the acromioclavicular distance of their users (distance between the right acromion and the left acromion, similar to the dimension between shoulders). This distance in the existing boards is fixed, and as a result, only a percentage of the population can perform the exercises as recommended, as it remains very open or very closed for the rest of the population. This limits standardization, with users having to find the most comfortable and correct training board for their own body dimensions.

The current dimension of the training boards is due to the large number of holes or supports they contain, all with different dimensions in depth and length for different levels of training, being able to be used with the full hand, three fingers (tri-finger), two fingers (bi-finger), or a single finger. Each hole dimension is presented in pairs, as the muscles must be trained symmetrically to decrease the likelihood of injury. Thus, a training board must have the largest number of different pairs of holes to provide a more complete and progressive training without the need to install another. Hence its size.

The existing training boards present, for the most part, a distribution with vertical symmetry of the holes or supports for fingers, there being different distances between grips. Thus, some are more separated than others, so only some of them are able to be used comfortably and effectively according to the acromioclavicular distance of the user.

The training board presented by Joan Machado (ES1076303U) complies with the variability of the acromioclavicular distance by presenting a support of 60 centimeters long of constant section in which users can be suspended according to their own body dimensions. This one also has different depths, ranging from 30 mm to 10 mm, distributed vertically in 9 sections for progressive training (10 mm, 12 mm, 14 mm, 16 mm, 18 mm, 20 mm, 22 mm, 24 mm, and 30 mm). However, its large dimension (60*45*30 centimeters, L*H*W) makes it difficult for it to be moved, also presenting a great weight. The support radius for the fingers that it presents, which is not modifiable, may be harmful to some users (especially users with large hands). Finally, the depth of the slats is fixed, there being no intermediate numbers, less than 10 mm, or larger than 30 mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: View in isometric perspective of the whole accessory assembled (1).

FIG. 2: View in isometric perspective of the exploited accessory, in which its three components can be identified: base (4), cover (3) and separator (2).

FIG. 3: Front view of the base (4) where the mounting holes for the fixing screws are seen (5) and the nerves or ribs for the distribution of load face the wall (6).

FIG. 4: Side view of the base (4) where the mounting holes for the fixing screws are seen (5), the nerves or ribs for load distribution face the wall (6), and the back flat surface that rests against the wall (7).

FIG. 5: View in isometric perspective of the base (4) where the adjustment for the separator (8) and the adjustment for the cover (9) are seen, which must prevent the movement of those parts with workload.

FIG. 6: Top view of the base (4) where some adjustments for the cover (3) are appreciated as an example:

-   -   9(a) Homogeneously extruded cylinder type adjustment on the base         surface.     -   9(b) Extruded rectangular type adjustment on the base surface.     -   9(c) Homogeneously extruded rectangular type adjustment on the         base surface.

FIG. 7: Upper view of the base (4) where some adjustments for the separator (2) are seen as an example, to prevent its movement in the horizontal plane with workload:

-   -   8(a) Double channel type adjustment with rounded edges.     -   8(b) Central dovetail adjustment.     -   8(c) Double dovetail adjustment from the ends.

FIG. 8: Top view of the separator (2) where some thicknesses are seen as an example.

-   -   10(a) Thickness of 10 mm     -   10(b) Thickness of 15 mm     -   10(c) Thickness of 20 mm     -   10(d) Thickness of 26 mm

FIG. 9: Top view of the separator (2) where some adjustments to the base (4) are seen as an example, to prevent its movement in the horizontal plane with workload.

-   -   11(a) Double dovetail adjustment     -   11(b) Double channel adjustment with rounded edges     -   11(c) Central dovetail adjustment.     -   11(d) Modified central dovetail adjustment.

FIG. 10: View in isometric perspective of a separator (2) where the thickness (10), the adjustment to prevent its movement in the horizontal plane (11), and the engraved or printed number (12) are appreciated.

FIG. 11: Front view of the separator (2) where some engraved or printed numbers (12) are presented according to their dimension as an example.

FIG. 12: Lower view of the cover (3) where some adjustments with the base (4) are seen as an example, to prevent its movement in the horizontal plane with a working load, and a groove (14) to facilitate its extraction.

-   -   13(a) Homogeneously extruded cylinder type adjustment on the         base surface.     -   13(b) Extruded rectangular type adjustment on the base surface.     -   13(c) Extruded or homogeneous rectangular type adjustment on the         base surface.

FIG. 13: Side view of the cover (3) where the adjustment is seen to prevent its displacement in the horizontal plane with workload, and the fastening radius (15) with some examples.

FIG. 14: View of the isometric perspective from below the cover (3) where the adjustment (13) is seen to prevent its movement in the horizontal plane with workload, and a groove (14) to facilitate its extraction.

FIG. 15: View in isometric perspective of some examples of the cover (3) where the groove is seen to facilitate its extraction (14), the fastening radius (15) and the flat surface of fastening with the hand (16)

FIG. 16: Perspective view of the way of using the accessory, where the hands rest on the flat surface of the cover, using a pair of accessories for its correct use.

FIG. 17: Perspective view of a user using a pair of accessories for their exercise in suspension, leaning on the flat surface of the cover, while the base is kept fixed to a wall by fixing screws.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Modular accessory for the training of fingers to be mounted on a wall for the realization of exercises in suspension. A pair of these must be installed on the wall by fixing screws or another method of anchoring or adhesive.

Each accessory contains 3 components: Base, cover and separator. The cover is assembled on the base to incorporate a modification to the supporting radius, while the separator is also assembled on the base to incorporate a modification to the depth of the support.

A cover and a separator must be mounted on the base according to the suspended exercise to be performed.

The cover and separator are removable to allow the change by another component with different characteristics: different thicknesses for the separator, and different radii for the supporting edge of the cover.

The base (4) consists of a bracket to be mounted on a wall, which can have holes (5) for fixing by screws and a flat back surface (7) that rests against the wall. This base may contain nerves for load distribution to the wall (6) and must have an adjustment for the cover (9) and its separator (8).

The cover (3) consists of a piece with adjustment to the base (13), smooth or rough surface (16), and a constant radius (15).

The separator (2) consists of a part with adjustment to the base (11), of constant thickness (10).

The invention has the characteristic of the interchangeability of the covers and separators, being able to select a cover with a different radius and a separator with a different thickness according to the exercise to be carried out. Both components, cover and separator, can be exchanged individually.

The cover (3) has a flat face where the hand is fastened and has a support radius in the range of 0.01 mm to 20 mm (15), maintaining the dimensions of length and width for compatibility with the base. The adjustment of the cover to the base (13) prevents displacement in the horizontal plane with workload, which can be one or more holes or protrusions (examples 13 a, 13 b and 13 c), always keeping the inverse of its counterpart at the base (examples 9, 9 a, 9 b, 9 c and 9 d). Its grip surface can be smooth or rough (16) and allows a sheet with abrasive material to be adhered to it that modifies its surface roughness to modify the coefficient of friction between the cover and the user's hand or fingers. They may also have a groove (14) to facilitate their removal.

The separator (2) has a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 80 mm (examples 10, 10 a, 10 b, 10 c and 10 d), maintaining the dimensions of length and width for compatibility with the base. The adjustment of the separator to the base (11) prevents displacement in the horizontal plane with workload, which can be by dovetail, rail, or one or more holes or bumps (examples 11, 11 a, 11 b, 11 c and 11 d). One side of the separator may contain an embossed or non-embossed engraving or print with the corresponding dimension (12) to the space free of support on the cover once the separator is mounted. As an example: For a base of 50 mm depth and a separator of 20 mm thickness, the dimension shown should be “30 mm” as that is the dimension corresponding to the space free of support.

The base (4) must contain the negative of the cover adjustment (examples 9, 9 a, 9 b and 9 c) and the separator (examples 8, 8 a, 8 b and 8 c) to secure the component and prevent its displacement in the horizontal plane.

The dimension of the assembly should not exceed 150 mm long to ensure its low weight and transportability, while the height can range between 25 mm and 80 mm. The thickness of the assembly should not exceed 90 mm. Thus, it has maximum dimensions of 150*80*90 mm (L*W*H).

Each set allows the fastening of only one hand, and a pair must be used for the correct execution of the exercises (17). This allows it to be assembled at a suitable acromioclavicular dimension for the user as the two sets are not joined (18).

It can be built of different solid materials. Materials must possess a Young's Module greater than 2 Gigapascals (GPa) to be considered solid. Plastic manufacturing (ABS, PP, HIPS, Nylon, HDPE, PLA, among others) is recommended due to the manufacturing alternatives and its low weight, and can also be manufactured in metal, wood or by resin casting with mineral load.

Its main advantage lies in the versatility of use and adaptability by users, being able to perform all the workouts in the same physical space by only exchanging the components of the set to achieve different surface roughness, radii of support and depth of grip, as well as a customized assembly according to the acromioclavicular distance of the user, generating a clear advantage over accessories presently in the market.

APPLICATION EXAMPLE

The following example of application is shown only for a better explanation of the invention and in no case limits its application to the values or conditions specified herein.

For the installation of this model, 3 anchor screws are used per set, which are fixed to the lintel of a door. The example set has a dimension of 35*120*60 mm (D*L*H), with a grip surface of 30 mm deep.

For muscle warm-up the 30 mm deep base is used (without the separator) and a 7 mm radius cover for open-handed training.

Then a 10 mm thick separator is introduced (with the legend “20 mm” engraved, since that corresponds to the free working space) and the 7 mm radius cover is maintained.

Finally, the 10 mm thick separator is removed and replaced by a 16 mm thick one (with the legend “14 mm” engraved). The 7 mm radius cover is also removed and replaced by a 4 mm radius cover. 

1. Modular accessory for the training of fingers to be mounted on a wall for the realization of exercises in suspension CHARACTERIZED because it presents three components: a base to be mounted on a wall, an interchangeable cover, and an interchangeable separator. The cover is assembled on the base to incorporate a modification to the support radius, while the separator is also assembled on the base to incorporate a modification to the depth of the support.
 2. Accessory according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED because it has maximum dimensions of 150*80*90 mm (L*W*H).
 3. Accessory according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED because it can be built of different solid materials, preferably plastic.
 4. Accessory according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED because the cover has a support radius in the range of 0.01 mm to 20 mm.
 5. Accessory according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED because the separator has a thickness in the range of 0.5 mm to 80 mm.
 6. Accessory according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED because the cover and the separator have adjustments that prevent their displacement with workload.
 7. Accessory according to claim 1 CHARACTERIZED because the separator can contain an embossed or non-embossed engraving or a print with the depth of work. 